July 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM - DOUGLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION

Rationale:  DHS Activities Director is recommending Brittney Eide.

Rationale:  The Board of Education formally approved the 2025-2026 academic calendar on November 12, 2024. At this time, formal Board action is needed to approve the graduation date for Douglas High School: May 17, 2026. The proposed date aligns with the academic calendar and ensures adequate time for the completion of coursework, final assessments, and end-of-year activities.

Rationale:  The proposed calendar was developed in collaboration with district leadership, staff, and stakeholder input. The Douglas School District Calendar Committee reviewed multiple calendar options and recommends this version for adoption. The calendar aligns with instructional priorities, contract obligations, state requirements, and community needs. It outlines key dates, including the first and last days of school, scheduled breaks, professional development days, and parent/teacher conferences.

Rationale: 

District administration has completed the annual review and update of the student handbooks for the 2025-2026 school year. Updates include minimal revisions to ensure clarity and consistency across all grade levels. Key changes include:

• The behavior matrix for both the high school and middle school has been updated to ensure consistency across grade levels.

• The high school graduation requirements section has been updated to reflect the most current Board-approved policy.

• Attendance procedures remain unchanged at this time but will be updated pending Board approval of the revised attendance policy.

• The athletics handbook has been updated to clearly separate and clarify attendance and behavior expectations for student-athletes.

The updated handbooks have been reviewed by building administrators and district leadership. Once approved, the handbooks will be distributed to students and families prior to the start of the school year.

Rationale: 

District administration has completed the annual review and update of the coaching and athletic handbooks for the 2025-2026 school year. Updates include minimal revisions to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment across all extracurricular activities.

Key updates include:

• Clearer separation and clarification of attendance and behavior expectations for student-athletes.

• Minor language adjustments to improve consistency and understanding across programs and grade levels.

• Alignment with current Board-approved policies and student handbooks.

The updated handbooks have been reviewed by district leadership, athletic directors, and building administrators. These documents serve as essential resources for coaches, student-athletes, and families, helping to support a positive, accountable, and equitable extracurricular experience.

Rationale:  The proposed ABAD - Parents’ Rights (SB 113) affirms the fundamental right of parents to direct the care, custody, and control of their children. This policy recognizes that while state law and local board policy govern school operations, parental rights must be upheld unless a compelling and narrowly tailored district interest requires otherwise.

Rationale:  New state law requirements established by SB 219, mandates that school districts accept cash as payment for entrance to school-affiliated events with admission fees less than two hundred dollars per individual. This policy ensures the district meets its legal obligation to provide cash payment options while maintaining flexibility to also offer credit card or other electronic payment methods for patron convenience.

Rationale:  New state law requirements established by HB 1259, mandate specific parameters for the use of multi-occupancy rooms in school facilities by individuals based on biological sex designations. This policy ensures the district operates within the legal framework established by the state legislature while providing appropriate accommodations for students who require alternative arrangements through reasonable accommodation procedures.

Rationale:  New state law requirements established by SB 74, mandates that school boards annually review South Dakota's open meetings law and include acknowledgment of this review in their meeting minutes. This policy incorporates the Attorney General's recommendation to use the Conducting the Public's Business in Public brochure as the sufficient material for distribution and review, ensuring our board maintains transparency and adherence to state open meeting requirements.

Rationale:  This policy revision will comply with new state law requirements established by SB 74, which mandates that school board meeting minutes include documentation of the board's annual distribution and review of the Attorney General's Conducting the Public's Business in Public brochure. This policy ensures the district maintains proper records of its compliance with open meeting law requirements by incorporating acknowledgment of this annual review process directly into the official minutes.

Rationale:  This policy revision complies with new state law requirements established by HB 1093, which specifies three designated dates on which referendum elections can be held for approval to enter into agreements or issue capital outlay certificates.

Rationale:  New state law requirements established by SB 109, mandates a specific process for implementing new or revised Section 504 plans, individualized family service plans (IFSP), or individualized education programs (IEP) for students who are children of active-duty military members. This policy ensures the district provides timely educational services to military families by requiring the implementation of appropriate special education plans within thirty calendar days of enrollment when a student transfers due to military assignment.

Rationale:  State law requirements are established by HB 1239, which adds specific language regarding judicial review availability for school board decisions on curriculum or instructional materials and establishes that superintendent or school board decisions are final unless overturned by judicial review. This policy also reduces the time period for material reconsideration challenges from three years to one calendar year, addressing legislative concerns that the previous timeframe was excessive and created barriers to the challenge process.

Rationale:  State law requirements established by HB 1239, reduce the time period for re-challenging school materials from three years to one calendar year to address legislative concerns that the previous timeframe created excessive barriers to the challenge process. This policy also incorporates the requirement that superintendent or school board decisions on library materials are final unless overturned by judicial review, as mandated by the new state law.

Rationale:  State law requirements established by SB 71, permit a 17-year-old student to withdraw from school attendance with written consent from their parent, guardian, or other custodian. This policy ensures the district maintains proper documentation of such withdrawals and forwards copies to the Department of Education within thirty days of receipt as required by law. The Board recognizes this policy provides families with additional flexibility in educational decision-making while maintaining appropriate oversight and documentation procedures to ensure compliance with state compulsory attendance laws and proper record-keeping requirements.

Rationale:  New state law requirements are established by SB 71, which amends portions of the exemptions from school attendance to align with updated state statutory provisions. This policy ensures the district maintains current compliance with state law regarding various exemptions, including high school equivalency programs, religious exemptions, illness-related absences, and attendance at state or nationally recognized youth events.

Rationale:  We have been working collaboratively with the City of Box Elder to gather information regarding traffic flow around Don Williams Drive.  We wanted to share some information that we have been discussing.